Cantor Brings Institutional Block Trading to Kalshi Prediction Markets
United States.- 21 August 2026 | www.zonadeazar.com Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. has launched an institutional prediction-markets offering that gives professional clients access to block trades in event contracts listed on Kalshi.
The initiative makes Cantor one of the first full-service investment banks to provide institutional clients with access to event-contract block trading on an exchange regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Cantor to Act as Introducing Broker
Cantor will act as an introducing broker, arranging and facilitating institutionally sized transactions.
Clients will be able to negotiate event contracts at a single price through Kalshi’s block-trading framework.
These transactions will take place outside the central order book.
The structure is designed to support institutional investors seeking to execute larger positions more efficiently.
Block Trading for Larger Transactions
Block trading allows counterparties to negotiate a significant transaction directly under pre-agreed terms.
Rather than placing a large order progressively into the open market, the parties can agree on a single transaction and price.
The model is widely used across traditional financial markets and is now beginning to extend into prediction markets.
Susquehanna to Provide Liquidity
Cantor is also working with Susquehanna Predictions, part of Susquehanna International Group.
The firm will provide institutional-scale pricing and liquidity for the new offering.
Susquehanna Predictions describes itself as the first quantitative trading firm to establish a dedicated prediction-markets business.
Its involvement is intended to provide greater depth for institutional clients seeking to transact at scale.
Expansion Beyond Retail Trading
The initiative reflects the continued development of prediction markets beyond primarily retail participation.
Financial institutions are increasingly exploring event contracts as potential tools for:
- Hedging.
- Exposure management.
- Risk transfer.
- Institutional strategies.
- Portfolio diversification.
Access through established financial intermediaries could broaden the range of participants using these markets.
Hedging Previously Unserved Risks
Susquehanna believes large-scale institutional risk transfer could become one of the next major areas of growth.
Event contracts can potentially be structured around developments affecting individual companies or industries that are not always efficiently addressed through traditional insurance markets.
Customised contracts could therefore create new hedging opportunities for institutional counterparties.
Applying Traditional Market Infrastructure
Cantor will apply the institutional model it has developed across equities and fixed income to prediction markets.
The business will be managed through its Global Markets division.
Cantor will initially facilitate block trades on Kalshi, with plans to add additional trading venues later.
Statements
Pascal Bandelier, Co-CEO and Global Head of Equities at Cantor, highlighted the firm’s more than 80 years of experience providing institutional access to emerging markets.
He said prediction markets have grown rapidly but institutional participation has lagged because investors lacked efficient ways to transact at scale on regulated exchanges.
Max Crowley, Vice President of Business Development at Kalshi, said Cantor’s institutional relationships and experience in equities and fixed income could broaden the use cases for event contracts.
Joe Grubb, Head of Business Development at Susquehanna Predictions, identified institutional risk transfer as one of the next significant growth areas for prediction markets.
Industry Context
US prediction markets are evolving from platforms focused largely on retail trading towards infrastructure with increasingly institutional characteristics.
The introduction of block trading, traditional financial intermediaries and professional liquidity providers strengthens that transition.
As a CFTC-regulated exchange, Kalshi sits at the centre of this development.
Next Steps or Impact
Cantor will begin by facilitating block trades exclusively on Kalshi, although it has already indicated plans to add other venues.
The involvement of investment banks and quantitative trading firms could increase liquidity, transaction size and the use of event contracts for hedging strategies.
For Kalshi, the initiative marks an important step towards expanding beyond retail trading and integrating prediction markets more closely with traditional institutional finance.
Editó: @fonta
